A Female Student Arrives at the Imperial College
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This review may contain spoilers
If you are looking for a light historical drama with a ton of comedy, this is for you!
I say this only through my opinions, I see that there are a lot of mixed reviews out there on this drama, but here I am giving my opinion on this drama and why I rated it high.Story - 9.0/10 :
I recommend this drama, to the drama watchers who are looking for a light but historical drama. As for me, I was feeling like watching one and I noticed this drama started airing. I don't regret watching this drama as I actually thought this drama was fun to watch. Now let's talk about the plot. In the first 18 episodes, I do agree the plot is really missing a lot and it's definitely can't be considered as the best out there, but for a light drama, it's not the worst though, and maybe you could enjoy this drama as I did. As for the majority of the drama, comedy takes a big role through the drama, as for nearly every episode there would be time's where I couldn't stop laughing watching this drama. Near the end is where the majority of the story comes together and I've got to say the ending is very exciting. This drama throughout a lot of scenes that you wouldn't expect to happen and I was blown away by how well this drama did it. After every episode, I just couldn't wait to start the next. I'm very satisfied with the ending as I was happy to see that what they planned to do for Bianjing and the Imperial College was worth it. I expected that the whole drama would have no meaning at all and would just be fluffy the whole 30 episodes, but it didn't do that, in fact, the fluffiness stops not long after she graduates which gave a little sense of reality (I guess) as it made you feel like when you graduate, that is when you enter the real world and could face problems. This is why I rate the story a 9.5/10 since I didn't expect this drama to do this to me as a light drama, I think it did well.
Acting/Cast - 10/10 :
Zhao Lusi and Xu Kaicheng look like they were made for this role, the chemistry between the leads exceeded my expectation.
I've seen a lot of netizens commenting how Zhao Lusi's acting was quite annoying, but honestly, it didn't impact the way I watched it. I thought that Zhao Lusi's acting was quite cute overall and suited this drama and my expectations well. Although, (Zhao Lusi wears Korean makeup and her eyelashes and hair colour have annoyed many netizens since there are times where she looks like she is in a contemporary drama when she wears her own hair out it's been dyed brown which may affect the look of a historical drama) if you ignore this factor, then Zhao Lusi has done well in this drama. Zhao Lusi made Sang Qi feel lively and who was a smart girl.
This drama is my first Xu Kaicheng drama and I'd say his acting was well done in this drama. His acting skills were just what was needed for this drama. Xu Kaicheng is quite handsome and he's very tall and has more of a built body, which suited the role of the Deputy Chief of the Imperial College. I was really satisfied by the way he acted out his character throughout the story. The way he always acted around as Yan Yun Zhi to trick Zhou Wen Yuan, I got a tear out of my eyes at one point, and I'd say if he's able to make me cry, he is definitely a good actor.
Now about Ren Hao, to be honest, I hated his character (Zhou Wen Yuan) so much, Zhou Wen Yuan annoyed me all the time especially when he got very possessive over Sang Qi. If I'm at the point where I hate him, I guess he must be a good actor right? I'd say his visuals are handsome for a second male lead, also for a rebel. His eyes really told you his emotions and his feelings throughout the plot and I was impressed with the way he expressed the emotions through his eyes.
The supporting cast was pretty well done, if I have to say who would be my favourite supporting character I would have to say Yan Yan as he brought laughter from the times in the Imperial College right through to the end. In every character, it was wonderful to see how they act the characters when they grow older and go into the adult world.
Music - 10/10 :
I really like Liu Yuning's songs and I was happy to know that he sang a song for this drama. Zhao Lusi's song was also a nice one too I've got to say her singing skills have slightly improved. I was surprised to know that Zhang Yue (actor of Song Jia Yin) sung the opening song, her voice is really nice as well. All the songs suited the emotions the drama needed and I really like the whole OST of the drama.
Rewatch Value - 10/10 :
For me, it's hard to get over dramas that I feel just finished too fast, I could probably watch this another time but really depends on your opinion on rewatching dramas.
Overall - 10/10:
This drama has exceeded my expectations of thinking it was only going to be fluffy, I was very happy to see that this drama wasn't just full of fluff but there were a lot of tricks being played near the end which fulfilled just what I needed in a drama. To make this opinion I probably wouldn't have said this if I wrote this after watching the first 10 episodes. I think it's a good idea for you to watch the full drama to make an opinion on this drama because a lot changes after episode 18. So please do watch this drama and expect to see fluffy drama in the first 18 or so episodes but the story does not stop there when things change it gets very interesting and it is very intriguing to watch to the end. :)
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WATCH THIS EVEN IF YOU ARE KIND OF CONFUSED AT THE START, YOU WILL GET THE HANG OF IT!!
I am someone who watched this drama without reading the book or watching the donghua, and I guess you could say maybe the first 3(?) episodes are quite confusing because it starts right in the middle of a scene and you have no idea as to what is happening, but as you continue on you will start to get the hang of watching it. Probably by the time I got to episode 6 I kind of understood all the terms. So I definitely recommend you watch it even if you haven't seen the donghua or read the books cause it is definitely worthwhile.To be honest the only reason I started watching this drama was because of Xiao Zhan (of course) but even though I didn't get the beginning I was watching how Xiao Zhan acted and it was top notch perfect bro. His acting has definitely improved from The Untamed (although his acting was amazingly good in that drama he has made improvements in his acting), but I love that his acting is so realistic and I did a bit of research of course before I started watching this to know what I was getting myself into, Tang San is meant to be a 16 year old boy and Xiao Zhan acts Tang San and his age perfectly, well we all know though, Xiao Zhan's real character is just like Tang San (hehe).
Now as for Wu Xuan Yi I honestly didn't expect her to act very well since she is quite a rookie actor (this is her first drama role) which surprised me as she didn't do bad as I thought. Actually I thought her acting was actually quite good just there is definitely room for improvement.
As for music, I honestly haven't listened much to the songs yet but the starting song sounds pretty good and I like it yeah.. ahaha.
So overall 1000% recommend even if you don't get it CONTINUE THE STORY!! :)
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**TBH BEST MODERN DRAMA THAT AIRED THIS YEAR!!**
Story/Plot - 10:+ Does not drag you much even though it's 36 episodes it is fast-paced, unlike other modern business dramas.
+ Gives a fast back story of when they were in high school which was nice to see how their relationship back then.
+ YUAN SHUAI AND JIANG JUN’S CHEMISTRY MAKES YOU HEART FLUTTER AND WANT TO BE IN JIANG JUN’S SHOES 😍
+ Plot is interesting and keeps you on your toes wanting more and more.
+ It is pretty cliche but it doesn’t stop you from watching the drama.
+ The comedy in this drama is just so great, I could watch those scenes daily and I would never get bored.
- The only drag through the drama is Xu Li and Li Xiaochuan’s romance mostly at the beginning.
(Spoiler Alert! - Episode 21 is complete sugar tho AHHH IT’S SO GOOD)
Acting/Cast - 100:
+ ALL THE ACTORS ACT AMAZINGLY WELL EVEN THO ITS A CLICHE TYPE OF ROMANCE BUT STILL, THE ACTORS CHEMISTRY IS HIGH IN THE SKY
+ Let me just say that the cast for this drama is just amazing we have Luo Yunxi who is just eye candy.
+ Bai Lu shows a great representation of a strong female lead and shows a good role model to other women to be strong and independent, not dependent on a guy
+ Luo Yunxi fits his role as an ED as he shows 2 sides of his character representation (a serious business guy side + a sweet and funny romantic guy) which I loved while watching it.
+ As seen in the bts, Bai Lu and Luo Yunxi get along well with each other which is the main basis of a quality drama.
+ Wangcai... how could we forget such an amazing actor tho... my favourite character AH
Music - 10:
+ chosen well to fit with the different scenes happening at the time
+ Majority of the songs are in English which kind of made me confused when I first watched it but it means you can sing along with the songs
+ My favourite song from the OST playlist is 爱是 (Love Is) ever since I saw a video (I’m pretty sure it was from the fan meeting, not sure tho) Bai Lu and Luo Yunxi sang the chorus it was such a sweet moment :))
(Btw the songs are on Spotify right now!! Just look up Love is Sweet OST and you will be able to find the songs from the drama)
Rewatch Value 10:
While waiting for new episodes to come out during when it was airing, I had already rewatched half the drama again haha but, when it finishes, I will rewatch this drama again especially the sweet scenes (my faves tho). But it depends on how you feel when you watch it first.
Overall 10:
+ Great drama
+ Amazing storyline
+ Best cast there is in any other modern drama
+ EYE CANDIES OKK?! they're all super hot and that's all u need to know :))
WATCH THIS DRAMA OR WANGCAI WILL COME AND STEAL ALL YOUR SOCKS :)
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tbh one of the best modern dramas out there
I've been watching this drama ever since the first episode premiered and every day I've been waiting for every episode as I was stuck into this drama I always wanted to know what would happen next. Now I've watched this drama twice and yes it's sooooo gooddd!! Compared to other modern Chinese dramas out there, this has to be the best since I believe that everyone can relate to at least one character in the drama as it talks about realistic and relatable issues. This drama had moments which made me cry or laugh as this drama is kind of a melodrama, comedy and romance all in one.Story - 10:
In my honest opinion, I wish there were more episodes since there are still missing details that could've been added to the ending of the drama, BUT STILL, I LOVE THIS DRAMA SO MUCHHH!!! The story had a lot of meanings behind every few scenes which is why I think this drama can be watched by all ages, unlike other dramas which are only suited to teenagers. What I love the most about this drama is that it is more realistic compared to other dramas. In this drama, everyone has problems as this drama talks about the parent's issues, the children's issues and the friend's issues as well, it's not like other dramas where the male lead is perfect where he is rich and encounters no problems throughout his life, in this drama, both male main leads, Ling Xiao and He Ziqiu have flaws and problems during their lives. The family in this drama is not the most fortunate in the world which can be relatable to many other people. This drama shows that people can look like they are perfect but in reality, they might not be the most perfect person.
Acting/Cast - 9:
I feel like this drama couldn't have a better cast cause the cast in this drama was perfect. All acting was natural and well done.
Song Weilong suited Ling Xiao's personality, Song Weilong said in an interview that he could relate to the story of the drama which helped Ling Xiao to be acted out well by Song Weilong. Song Weilong was probably 20 while in this drama but he seems to be mature in real life too so I could see why he could act as Ling Xiao. But his acting could've been better as there were some scenes where he looked a bit forced.
Zhang Xincheng acted well as He Ziqiu, whenever he cried, I couldn't help but cry along with him. His role in the drama suited him as well as He Ziqiu was meant to be an outgoing person not letting troubles get in his way and Zhang Xincheng pulled the character altogether.
I was surprised at how well Tan Songyun acted out Li Jian Jian, she's 30 years old and had to act like a 16-year-old for part of the drama which was well acted out. I also heard that Tan Songyun also could relate to the story of this drama as she had similar problems as Li Jian Jian.
Not only did the main actors acted their characters well but even the parents and friends acted their part of the drama well which is rarely seen in many dramas. Also, even though the other characters were supporting roles of the drama, they still had moments throughout the drama where they show their problems in their life. We could see what was happening in Li Hai Chao (Li Jian Jian's father), Ming Yue and Tang Can's life.
Music - 10:
I saved all the osts onto my spotify playlist cause the songs are so goodddd. Most of the songs are quite lo-fi which is technically great when you want to calm yourself down or when you want to cry haha. Tan Songyun sings a song that's in the ost called Like a Breeze, but how in the world can she be so talented tho. Her voice is really beautiful just like her acting skills.
Rewatch Value - 10:
Well, I've watched it twice so I mean watch it as much as you want cause it's up to your choice. But I like to rewatch my favourite dramas a second time cause like why not?
Overall I rate it a 10 of course since its such an amazing drama. I RECOMMEND IT TO LITERALLY EVERYONE!!!
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